Staring at the little blob that had become his pet, Luke could swear it had increased in size since he last saw it.

  "Did eating that monster core make you bigger?"

  Smudge didn't answer, of course, but it had this whole smug air about it. So weird, how the strange creature communicated. Or perhaps Luke was just unraveling and going insane, talking to a creature that shouldn't be able to exist.

  Its hunger status still said it needed more.

  "If I keep feeding you, will you eat me?" Luke asked.

  It would not. At least Luke didn't think so. Shaking his head, he tossed another core into the black mass, heading for the shower. The implications of feeding system items to something outside the bounds of The Greater System occurred to him, of course, but his intuition was pretty good about these things, and Luke didn't think his new friend would turn into some world-ending disaster. If Smudge grew unruly, the pet would just have to ride in the pet menu until it learned its manners, not unlike the nuke.

  After a shower and a quick glance at the clock, Luke groaned and threw himself onto what amounted to his bed. Part of his contract with the guild meant an early start. Still, though, not wanting to forget, Luke ordered a proper bed to be delivered from IKEA, complete with pillows, sheets, and everything else you'd need, along with some more furniture. Money wasn't a problem, and while he didn't spend much time in the apartment, it didn't hurt to make the place look a little less like a hovel.

  Smudge remained in its place on the floor, absorbing its new treat. Luke set the alarm, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. It felt like a blink, but when he opened his eyes, it was starting to get light out. Something had woken him, but it wasn't Smudge, now sleeping next to him. Rubbing his eyes and failing to stifle a yawn, Luke turned to check the watch. 6 AM.

  He sat and looked around, feeling on edge without knowing why. The apartment was empty, of course. Searching through it with Weaver's Perception revealed nothing. Trying to calm himself, Luke glanced at his interface and saw messages. They'd come in while he slept. Were they what had woken him?

  Ray: "You awake?"

  Ray: "Guess not. Get your beauty sleep. You need it."

  Ray: "Am I evil? Did Relian imprint on me somehow?"

  Ray: "Never mind."

  Ray: "It's just. The things I did when he controlled me. I know it wasn't me, but it felt like it."

  Ray: "I think that time made it easier for me to do bad things. Things I wouldn't have dreamed of doing before all this. Even if it's for a good cause, it's starting to make me feel sick."

  Ray: "I just... I don't know. Never mind. I'll talk to you later."

  Reading the messages made Luke's chest feel tight. Ray was not one to complain or share his thoughts on anything deeper than video game strategy or his latest failed attempts at talking to women. Perhaps it was easier for him to share over the communication gems.

  Luke: "You're not evil, Ray. Traumatized, maybe, but that doesn't make someone bad. If the job isn't what you think, you can always quit, you know? Come back to Chicago and hang out with me."

  After several minutes without a reply, Luke figured Ray must've fallen asleep. At least Luke hoped so. There was no falling back asleep after this, though, so best to get the day started. The day over at Integrated Solutions Group would begin at 9 AM, which meant the next few hours were his own. What better way to spend some of that time than checking out his new profession?

  The Enchanter menu looked a lot like the skill menu, meaning a list of possible enchantments all grouped under one skill.

  Enchant Item (Enchanter): Increase the potency of an item by adding to its power.

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  Enchantment of Protection: A small increase in an item’s sturdiness.

  Enchantment of Intelligence: +2 Intelligence.

  Enchantment of Strength: +2 Strength.

  Enchantment of Crushing Weight: Add a slight amount of weight to an item.

  Enchantment of Speed: Provides a minor speed boost when wearing an item with this enchantment.

  The list was quite long but full of words like 'minor', 'small', and 'insignificant'. All of these were available to him, though, so there was no need to pick and choose.

  Wanting to test just how the profession worked, Luke fetched a T-shirt. Holding it in his hands, he focused. A pattern formed over his hand, not unlike a spellweave hovering in the air, glowing. While this pattern was under his control, he wasn't the one forming it, not quite. Mana poured into it on its own. Not a huge amount or anything, but someone like a melee fighter who didn't have much Intelligence might feel like it was a significant amount. Allowing the profession skill to take the reins, the weave lowered onto the item and disappeared.

  Dark Gray T-shirt of Vitality: +2 Vitality.

  "Cool," Luke whispered, taking it into his inventory and equipping it from there. It appeared on his upper body. "Cool and convenient."

  Checking the Integrated shop proved a theory. Selling the T-shirt was possible. At 10 credits, this wouldn't make him filthy rich or anything, but with a good supply of mana, Luke could crank out items to sell at the store, meaning he'd just found a safe and surefire way of making credits without risking his neck in a dungeon. "Cool, cool, cool," he said under his breath.

  Smudge stirred. He, because Luke thought it was male, stirred a little, but then settled back on the bed. The pet was a little bigger. This time, he was sure of it.

  Grabbing a couple of items, he found that enchanting wasn't limited to items he could wear or use. Trying to make a Fork of Intelligence worked just fine, for instance, and a Simple Chair of Speed too. He snickered a little and then enchanted some items he could use.

  White Tube Sock of Intelligence: +2 Intelligence.

  Creating another, Luke found a restriction. Wearing two enchanted socks at the same time didn't work. The System wouldn't let him. Well, wearing them worked, but only the bonus from the first one counted.

  A couple of minutes and about two-thirds of his available mana later, Luke stood in front of the mirror wearing workout clothes:

  Dark Gray T-shirt of Vitality: +2 Vitality.

  White Tube Sock of Intelligence: +2 Intelligence.

  Striped Athletic Shorts of Endurance: +2 Endurance.

  Black Boxer Shorts of Speed: Minor speed boost.

  Worn Sneakers of Endurance: +2 Endurance.

  Before heading out for a run, Luke made another attempt at reaching Ray, but was once again met with silence.

  Checking the interface again, he thought the experience bar had moved a little. Enchanting items provided some sliver of experience, then. All in all, it was a nice addition. The bonuses weren't all that bad either. Two attribute points were nothing to scoff at, almost half a level's worth, and it didn't take much effort to get them, either.

  While he couldn't pile on and add a hat, an armband, a sweatshirt, and more, five enchanted items seemed to be the maximum after some testing, which was still two levels' worth of attribute points, and Luke had an inkling he could improve on that after some more testing, but that would have to wait.

  Now, it was time for a run. Crisp morning air met him on the curb, and he ran as the city woke up around him, savoring the silence and enjoying the minor speed buff from his underwear, chuckling a little at wearing boxer shorts that made him faster. As he zoned out and let his body carry him forward, Luke reached out with Threads of Mana. Extending them was one of his primary goals, and he couldn't start slacking now. Pushing himself to the limit with endurance from running meant reaching incredible speed and keeping at least some awareness of his surroundings, while focusing on Threads of Mana netted a sweat-drenched Luke some well-deserved attribute points as he lurched through the door back into his apartment.

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Endurance).

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Focus).

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Willpower).

  "Nice," he grunted, and was about to head to the shower again when he stopped. Even with all that, energy still surged in his limbs. With some time left to burn, Luke decided to do a little more training.

  Hiroki still hadn't returned the messages, but that didn't mean Luke couldn't train on his own. The first stances were simple enough, and the basic swings and thrusts. The new staff appeared in his hands, and the weight made a grunt escape Luke even as he moved into position. A little while later, another message appeared.

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Strength).

  "Strength?" Luke asked, glancing at the metal staff. "Well... It is kind of heavy."

  That was an understatement, to say the least. Luke's shoulders and hips screamed at him for rest, and his vision spun a little. Perhaps he ought to have eaten breakfast before doing back-to-back training sessions. Four attribute points, though? That was nothing to scoff at. Boon of Potential was pulling its weight. Now, it was high time to head over to ISG headquarters and see if Nash got them out of all that tedious-sounding training.